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Anton's birthday

My sweet bunny Anton turned one this past weekend. I can't believe how quickly his first year flew by. (The first year with our first baby felt endless and insurmountable, whereas, thankfully, we knew—more or less—what we were doing the second time around.) For his birthday, my dad came to visit, and we spent a day doing Anton's favorite activities: eating strawberries and watermelon, taking a million baths, going to swim in our friend's pool, splashing in the sprinklers at the playground and eating just a little bit of sand while I wasn't watching:)

The day he was born, I looked at his masculine face and deep eyes and half-joked to Alex, "He is a bruiser with a heart of gold." And, funnily enough, that has been 100% true as he has grown. He climbs up slides, he puts his face underwater in the bath, he literally shakes off bumps and falls—but he is also shy and gentle and the most devoted friend. He's a lover not a fighter. When he's playing at home, he'll periodically take a break to walk over and lay his head on my knee for a few seconds, like a little puppy, before returning to his toys. And he's always walking over and offering his face up to his babysitter for kisses.

I just adore him and feel so lucky to be his mama. I'm so excited to see what this next year brings.Also, this photo made me laugh out loud. What a second child's birthday! Since Anton doesn't know how to blow, Toby pushed forward and blew out the candle, while Anton waited patiently in his little paper crown. Oh, Anton, little doll, you get first dibs next year!

Happy Birthday little prince! I love the paper crown btw, we do this in Spain too! As a matter of fact, my own little boy turned two on Sunday and one of the things I was most looking forward to is seeing his crown that he and his classmates made. :)

Happy birthday, Anton! P.S. Such a pity you never posted his birth story. I'm expecting my first child later this month and I loved Toby's birth story and was kinda hoping to read another positive birth story by the time I get to experience my own :)

tatanicka, i'm so sorry! i have been meaning to write it but it just feels sort of mountainous and overwhelming to write—i will do it soon, i promise! congratulations on your baby news, you must be so excited. xoxo

Happy birthday, Anton! My baby girl turned one this past week too, and what a year it has been! Already, they are not babies anymore, but their own little people.We had a beautiful sunny day with strawberries and watermelon here in Denmark too - I guess babies love the same things everywhere ;-)Thank you for a great blog - I have followed you guys during this first year of motherhood and found lots of good advice, laughter and encouragement.

What a cutie! So happy the past year has brought you such wonderful memories with him. It's so important to start thinking about keeping track of those special moments and stories now, so he'll have a lasting artifact to keep with him in the future– scrapbooking, journaling, this blog even!

Happy Birthday! Such a sweet photo and so true with the second child. Your description of Anton perfectly describes my son (also my second child). They sound very similar. My little one who just turned two will walk up to me ask me for a hug. I will miss that when he's older:)

kat, i'm so glad. a friend recently described me as a "high-anxiety optimist," which actually really rang true haha! :) renae, yes, he loved it! we devoured it all almost immediately (should i admit that online?:) camille, i haven't shared anton's birth story yet, but plan to soon. i just have to get my act together and write it all down. it's a little intimidating to be honest!

kathleen, toby and i baked banana bread with chocolate chips and put it in a cake pan because a) anton's favorite food of all time is a banana and b) i didn't want him to have real cake yet since he's so little :) joannaxo

Happy 1st birthday :)I think you should enlarge the photo and frame it. I can bet if you will ask Toby in a few years for is favorite photo of him and his brother he will tell you this one from Anton's first birthday.

katherine, thanks for your question! anton uses the stokke high chair—sometimes we take off the tray and pull him right up to eat at the table, and other times we put on the tray which seems a little easier for him to eat from. http://www.stokke.com/USA/en-us/seating/tripp-trapp/1444.html

it has been a really great chair for us and works so well as the child grows. hope that helps!

Hi Joanna, I've been following your blog forever but rarely comment - I wanted to tell you that (for various reasons) one-by-one I've stopped reading most blogs, but I've continued to enjoy your work. This post is a good example of why: instead of planning an elaborate, Pinterest-perfect, party to showcase on your blog, you planned a day for Anton (as opposed to a day to show off beautiful [and usually expensive] things, perfectly curated and staged photos, etc.). I think this shows authenticity, and that's something that is going away on so many successful blogs. Keep doing your thing! :)

I love these photos! And the banana bread for cake is a fabulous idea, so much better than some huge sugary thing! Also - I love that romper in the first photo, do you mind sharing where it is from? Thanks!

My little guy is just a week older than your sweet Anton, and he does the same thing as him - every so often, he'll stop playing for a few seconds and rest his head on my leg or knee, like he's in the mood for a quick snuggle. It's absolutely the BEST, and I although I'm trying to enjoy it while it lasts, I can't help feeling sad for when it ends! Also - thank you for honestly saying the first year with Toby felt "endless and insurmountable." That's exactly how it's felt for me, despite my deep, deep love for my son.Happy birthday to Anton!

Hi Joanna! Your boys are so precious. I know Anton's 1st birthday was a while ago, but I thought you might like looking at these photos anyways! Don't you love the sprinkles/ lighting and the pure joy of this little boy on his first birthday? :) Thought I should share because maybe you'd like browsing through the pictures as much as I did! -Heather from Vancouver http://www.katiecrossphotography.com/lifestyle-lucas-first-birthday/